


The Inside Job

by Tieleen



Category: Leverage
Genre: Collection: Purimgifts Day 1, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-03-01
Updated: 2015-03-01
Packaged: 2018-03-15 21:25:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 976
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3462602
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tieleen/pseuds/Tieleen
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"You know, when I said art school," Amy says, "I didn't really mean 'my dream is to learn how to <em>forge</em> art'."</p>
<p>Parker beams. "I know! Life is amazing."</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Inside Job

**Author's Note:**

  * For [bessemerprocess](https://archiveofourown.org/users/bessemerprocess/gifts).



"You know, when I said art school," Amy says, "I didn't really mean 'my dream is to learn how to _forge_ art'."

Parker beams. "I know! Life is amazing."

"I mean, it's not that I don't appreciate what you've done for me," Amy pushes on, determined. "You've given me so many opportunities I never would have –"

"You're a great employee," Parker says, reassuringly. "You deserved all of those opportunities. That job in Madrid last month? That was some quick thinking. I was sure they'd make us before you came back with those balloons."

"But this is just for now," Amy stresses, ignoring the praise, though can feel herself blushing a little. "I enjoy it, Parker, I really do, but I'm not like you guys. It's important work and it's definitely more interesting than doing dishes, but I want to go to art school. That's why I left home in the first place. That's why I started working here. You know? It's my Plan."

Parker sits down.

"Oh." Amy glances up at her, then looks down again. Parker is frowning a little. "I guess I didn't think about it like that."

"I know," Amy says. "It's okay."

"But then – if you want to go to art school, you should go to art school," Parker says. "We can give you the money."

"No, no," Amy says, blushing again. It doesn't feel as pleasant this time. "I don't want you to do that. I'm fine working for it. I'm going to get the money a lot faster now, with how much you're paying me."

"I – oh." Parker is quiet for a moment. "We can pay you more, at least! We should pay you more. You should have a balloon bonus. And a good aim bonus for April. You're really good with a smoke grenade."

"I played volley ball for a while," Amy says. "I didn't really expect it to come in handy exactly like that."

"That's it, then." Amy doesn't look up, but she can tell Parker is doing some determined nodding. "I'll talk to Hardison. And we should give you extra for international travel. You –"

"Parker, no," Amy says. "You pay me enough. You pay me a lot. It's fine."

"It's not fine," Parker says. "It'll take you a long time to save up like this. We should've thought about this before. It's okay, we can afford it."

Saving up for art school is going to take Amy a year and a half, planning for if she gets into the school of her choice, gets all the amenities and luxuries she can possibly think of (she can think of a lot, she was brought up to know all the possibilities), and doesn't do even one iota of work while she's as school. Even with her background, it took her a while to think about all the amenities she should save up for. They really do pay her quite a lot.

"I couldn't possibly," she says, primly. "Really, Parker, it's fine."

"Oh." Parker goes silent, which doesn't really mean she's done with the subject. She could be thinking up a new angle, or she could be thinking about her new rappelling harness, or about her ongoing project to get Amy to come throw herself off the roof with her; it's hard to tell, with Parker. That's part of the fun of talking to her.

Amy waits her out, concentrating on the canvas instead.

"It's just," Parker says, eventually.

Amy hums encouragement, distracted by a tricky bit of brushstroke.

"So you don't want to stay in the business," Parker says. "It's okay. It's not for everybody! Look at Nate and Sophie."

From what Amy understands, it sounds like Nate and Sophie needed a twelve-step program to get them out of the business. They're not like her at all. She nods at Parker to continue, anyway.

"And you don't want to learn how to be an art forger," Parker goes on slowly. "Because that would be for jobs. And you don't want to go on jobs. You want to go to art school."

"I mean, I'm okay with going on jobs for now," Amy says. "I don't mind it or anything. Until I get the money together."

"Right," Parker says. "It's just – I'm not sure I understand why you're painting Starry Night right now."

Amy keeps her eyes on the canvas and resists the urge to glance up and see Parker looking at her. It really is a tricky bit. Van Gogh is much harder than you'd expect, she's found.

"No reason," she says, putting a little more careful pressure on the upstroke. "It's good training." 

"Oh." Parker pauses. "Forging is good training?"

"No?" Very precise swoop there with the green, requiring all her concentration. "Learning different techniques is good training. And… studying the masters. I'm developing my skills."

"That's… important," Parker says.

"It is."

"It's good to develop your skills," Parker says, even slower now, as if testing the words out as she's saying them. "So, that friend of Sophie's… maybe she can help you with that. With developing. Those skills." Pause. "For art school."

"Oh," Amy says, concentrating on the yellow paint and on not smiling. That sounds all right, really. As long as she's still sticking to her Plan. "Yeah, we can probably do that."

~*~

"Hey, Amy," Hardison says, three hours later, standing in the doorway of the back room that is now Amy's ridiculously spacious well-lit studio.

"Yeah," Amy says, smiling at him.

"So, Parker said I should come in and give you a hug," Hardison says. "No real idea why. We don't actually have to, say the word and I'll go away and we'll never speak about this again."

"I don't know either," Amy says, letting her smile widen just a little. "But hugs are good. Hold on a minute, let me just finish this tree."

~*~

  
[](http://tinypic.com?ref=2uy5flv)

**Author's Note:**

> This version of the bat signal Starry Night is from [here](http://www.dmitrimatheny.com/blog/blog/starry-night-in-gotham). I only remembered it after finishing the story, but now I suspect Amy ends up doing something like it and giving it to Hardison.


End file.
